btnx: Send keyboard and mouse combination events with mouse buttons

[Tiftof]

I'm trying to get it to work for my MX1000 in Hardy. I can assign the horizontal scroll buttons to a keyboard combination. But when I reboot the key combinations don't work anymore. Restart the btnx daemon doesn't help. When I reconfigure the settings in btnx, everything works again.

I thought I might try assigning my MX1000 to constant input handler '/dev/input/event*' but that's not helping either. The event handler is made on reboot, but when I check '/proc/bus/input/devices' I see that my MX1000 is still using a random event input handler.

How can I make btnx work after a reboot?

Thanks!

[daou]

I'm trying to get it to work for my MX1000 in Hardy. I can assign the horizontal scroll buttons to a keyboard combination. But when I reboot the key combinations don't work anymore. Restart the btnx daemon doesn't help. When I reconfigure the settings in btnx, everything works again.

I thought I might try assigning my MX1000 to constant input handler '/dev/input/event*' but that's not helping either. The event handler is made on reboot, but when I check '/proc/bus/input/devices' I see that my MX1000 is still using a random event input handler.

How can I make btnx work after a reboot?

Thanks!

It doesn't matter if the event# changes between reboots. What matters is if the button codes or Vendor/Product IDs change between reboots.

Sounds exactly like the problem tim71 has been having with his MX1000. I believe this is an issue with the mouse itself. He made a few configuration files, 3 I think, one of which worked after a reboot. But then btnx needs to be manually started with the correct configuration after each reboot.

There might be a workaround using the new feature I coded today for btnx (in SVN repository trunk). You can make multiple configurations (make one each time you reboot and a previous config file does not work). Then, when btnx starts during boot, it loops through all the configuration files until it finds one for the plugged in mouse.

However, this will not work if the Vendor and Product IDs do not change between reboots (and button codes change- you can check this by looking at the RC value of the button, visible in the button list of btnx-config).

[Tiftof]

I just noticed I was still using 0.4.6. So I installed 0.4.8 and problem solved allready. Don't know why, but now my config works after reboot (rebooted 3 times to make sure).

Sorry to waste your time and keep up the good work! Amazing utility and you give a lot of support in this thread.

Thanks

[ZYV]

daou, well, actually I am still watching thins topic in the hope you'll comment on the glib/gtk dependency and most importantly on my MS Wireless Presenter 8000. What are my next steps to find how does those Prev/Next buttons generate events out? Or is it completely hopeless (for what reason)?

[daou]

daou, well, actually I am still watching thins topic in the hope you'll comment on the glib/gtk dependency and most importantly on my MS Wireless Presenter 8000. What are my next steps to find how does those Prev/Next buttons generate events out? Or is it completely hopeless (for what reason)?

The gtk/glib requirement is the same one I have developed with, so the requirement is probably not borderline. I do remember that some problems arise from Ubuntu Dapper's version of gtk (not sure if Edgy's gtk was fresh enough).

Looking at the diff, you would want gtk v.2.10.4 and glib v.2.12.3. If they work correctly, I can relax the configure.ac requirements to these. I already made the commit, so you can get the relaxed requirements from btnx-config SVN trunk: http://svn.ollisalonen.com/btnx-config/trunk

If the event file does not output anything when you press some buttons, then there is nothing really that btnx (or Linux) can do. It's possibly some proprietary protocol for those few extra buttons. You can try hexdumping each /dev/input/event handler to make sure the buttons aren't using those. For example, the Logitech MX Revolution mouse has two input event handlers.

[dasbooter]

Much thanks for this little gem. First time I seem to have all buttons working in linux with mx 1000(using linux since Suse 8 ).

Excuse my ignorance in terms of path and permissions but trying to add amarok as a command results in alot of errors that appear to be the result of amarok trying to access roots home not my own. I have it set in btnx-config to run with my own userid. Can somebody throw me a bone here.

oh and clicking thanks button for the author ....now

using gutsy

[daou]

Much thanks for this little gem. First time I seem to have all buttons working in linux with mx 1000(using linux since Suse 8 ).

Excuse my ignorance in terms of path and permissions but trying to add amarok as a command results in alot of errors that appear to be the result of amarok trying to access roots home not my own. I have it set in btnx-config to run with my own userid. Can somebody throw me a bone here.

oh and clicking thanks button for the author ....now

using gutsy

You can try using "su" as I described in this launchpad bug report: https://bugs.launchpad.net/btnx-config/+bug/198339

[blazoner]

Daou,
Thanks for your replies.
As far as utilizing the UID over the user name, I really have no preference. If I remember correctly, I was just meaning that they shouldn't be run as root, but instead be tied to the user. I do, however, want to avoid excessive pop-up dialogs for passwords, etc....
I would like to see passwords stored on a user-level account within their configurations to avoid this, but we'd be better served by making configurations unable to store a root password, thereby popping up a password dialog.

As far as things you might have missed from the thread, the only one I can recall was a few different users were having trouble with their revoco settings getting screwed up during hibernation, etc. The most likely reason, from my point of view, is that you chose to make revoco settings temporary, rather than making each change permanent.

Thanks,
blazoner

[Tiftof]

It doesn't matter if the event# changes between reboots. What matters is if the button codes or Vendor/Product IDs change between reboots.

Sounds exactly like the problem tim71 has been having with his MX1000. I believe this is an issue with the mouse itself. He made a few configuration files, 3 I think, one of which worked after a reboot. But then btnx needs to be manually started with the correct configuration after each reboot.

There might be a workaround using the new feature I coded today for btnx (in SVN repository trunk). You can make multiple configurations (make one each time you reboot and a previous config file does not work). Then, when btnx starts during boot, it loops through all the configuration files until it finds one for the plugged in mouse.

However, this will not work if the Vendor and Product IDs do not change between reboots (and button codes change- you can check this by looking at the RC value of the button, visible in the button list of btnx-config).

Seems like the problem is back now: my MX1000 settings don't work anymore after a reboot. Maybe in my previous reboots I was just lucky that it kept working or it has something to do with the upgrades I installed for hardy this morning.

And I checked what the problem is: ProductID and VendorID don't change but the rawcode for the buttons is wat changes on reboot. Any solution for that?

thanks

EDIT: seems like the rawcode just changed after the upgrade. I changed my config for btnx and works again now

[daou]

Seems like the problem is back now: my MX1000 settings don't work anymore after a reboot. Maybe in my previous reboots I was just lucky that it kept working or it has something to do with the upgrades I installed for hardy this morning.

And I checked what the problem is: ProductID and VendorID don't change but the rawcode for the buttons is wat changes on reboot. Any solution for that?

thanks

EDIT: seems like the rawcode just changed after the upgrade. I changed my config for btnx and works again now

If the problem reappears, try this:
Do not remove the configuration, delete buttons, or make a new configuration. Use the same configuration, but press the "Detect mouse and buttons" button again. It will take you directly to the button detection. Then redetect the buttons, naming them for example Left1, Right1, etc (if existing ones are called Left, Right, etc). Assign the same functionality to them as you used for the previously working buttons.

Now when you start btnx, it will try to use all those buttons in the configuration file, but only a subset of them will be working at a time. Hopefully this helps.

Note: some buttons probably won't change their rawcodes (like the left, right, and wheel). btnx-config will tell you the button has been detected, but that's no problem.